Puri: Despite incessant rain, thousands of devotees have Sunday thronged this pilgrim city to witness Bahuda Jatra – the return journey of Lord Jagannath and his siblings from Gundicha temple to Shreemandir.
The Bada Danda Saturday was inundated with knee-deep water following heavy rain. Braving the early morning shower Sunday, devotees have started pouring onto the grand road to seek blessings of the deities on the chariots since wee hours.
The Bahuda Yatra is the return journey of Lord Jagannath and his siblings Lord Balabhadra and Devi Subhadra from Gundicha Temple to Srimandir here.
During Rath Yatra, the deities from their 12th-century shrine go to their aunt’s temple. On the ninth day, they return to their shrine.
On the way back, the deities stop for a short while and partake of poda pitha, a type of cake made of rice, lentils, jaggery and coconut, offered by their aunt, Mausi Maa.
On reaching back Srimandir, another occasion that attracts lakhs of devotees is the Suna Besha in which the deities wear the golden attire with hands, arms and crown made of solid gold. They are also
offered sweet drinks, adhara pana, on huge cylindrical earthen pots reaching up to their lips. Then they would be taken down from the chariots to enter the shrine.
However, Lord Jagannath’s celestial consort Laxmi would shut the temple door, denying their entry in anger and jealousy. A dialogue between Lord Jagannath and Goddess Laxmi would take place which is enacted by two group of servitors — one from inside and the other from outside.
After this celestial drama that resembles daily domestic tiffs between the couple on earth, the temple door is opened and the deities are taken to their Ratna Singhasana.
PNN